May 2016 Elections

A Toolkit for London Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations

www.inclusionlondon.org.uk/campaigns

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 1 Contents

Introduction ...... 3

Section 1: Powers and responsibilities of the Mayor ...... 5

Section 2: Questions and answers from the main mayoral candidates ...... 8

Section 3: Voting in the London elections ...... 23

Registering to Vote ...... 23

Ways to Vote ...... 24

How to Vote ...... 26

Polling station access for Disabled voters ...... 27

Section 4: Full list of candidates ...... 28

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 2 Introduction

On May 5 2016 Londoners will get a chance to have their say in electing the next and Assembly members.

It is important that Disabled people take part in the London elections and use their votes.

There are 1.2 million Disabled people in London, making up over 14% of the population1, yet we remain one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in society.

Too often politicians and policy-makers overlook our needs and the issues that matter most to us.

In the current climate when, for the first time in the history of social policy, things are getting worse for Disabled people2, it is more important than ever that our voices are heard.

The incomes of Disabled Londoners fell by 29% over the five years from 2007/8 to 2012/13 – double the equivalent figure for non-Disabled Londoners. Meanwhile Disabled Londoners experience inequality in every area of our lives such as housing, education and transport.

The Mayor of London and Greater have significant powers that can address disadvantage and enable Disabled Londoners to participate as active citizens in the life of the capital city.

The London elections are a good opportunity to get our issues on the agenda and over the past few months Inclusion London has been busy doing just that.

1 Family Resources survey 2012/13: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data /file/325491/family-resources-survey-statistics-2012-2013.pdf 2 http://jennymorrisnet.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/there-was-lot-of-political- consensus-on.html

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 3 In partnership with Transport for All and the Alliance for Inclusive Education we launched our ‘Disabled People’s Challenge to the next Mayor of London’, setting out our combined asks for the next Mayor and Assembly.

We met with the four main mayoral candidates to go through the key issues most important to Disabled Londoners: (Lib Dem), (Labour), Sian Berry (Green Party), (Conservative).

Their answers to six written questions we sent them are included in Section 2 to enable comparison.

We also ran election workshops for London DDPOs and worked in partnership with London election initiatives run by Bite the Ballot and Good London to build a shared vision for London across different communities.

This toolkit has been developed to provide key information about the London elections for Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs). Please share the information with your members and encourage them to use their votes on 5 May.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 4 SECTION 1 Powers and responsibilities of the Mayor

Overview The Mayor has a range of direct powers and responsibilities which impact on Deaf and Disabled people in London.

The Mayor has specific powers and duties and a general responsibility to promote economic, social and environmental improvement in London.

The Mayor must consult with Londoners, and in all cases the Mayor must promote equality of opportunity.

The Mayor has a duty to set out plans and policies for London covering transport, planning and development, housing, economic development and regeneration, culture, health inequalities, and a range of environmental issues.

The Mayor sets the annual budget for the and the wider GLA group, which includes the Service, , London Development Agency and .

Transport The Mayor is Chair of Transport for London, appoints the Transport for London Board and sets the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.

The Mayor has ultimate responsibility for London’s buses, Dial-A-Ride, Tube and Transport for London rail, and some of London’s streets.

Rail, the Freedom Pass, Taxicard and most streets fall outside the Mayor’s direct control.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 5 Health The Mayor has a statutory duty to reduce health inequalities. The Mayor is Chair of the London Health Improvement Board and sets the London Health Inequalities Strategy.

Development – housing and economy The Mayor provides an overall framework for the development of London, through the . The plan contains targets for housing, transport, community facilities and the environment. The Mayor also has a leadership role through his/her powers over planning decisions.

The Mayor sets the London Housing Strategy and a range of related sub strategies under it.

The Mayor sets the London Development Strategy and related work such as the London Debt Strategy group.

Education The Mayor of London has no statutory powers over education.

BUT

An enterprising mayor can use his / her powers for economic generation to develop an education and apprenticeships strategy – making the direct link between learning and business and paid work.

Policing and Crime The Metropolitan Police Authority has been replaced with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC).

The Metropolitan Police Service is directly accountable to the Mayor.

The Mayor produces a Police and Crime Plan setting out MOPAC’s Police and Crime objectives.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 6 Equalities The Mayor has a duty to promote equality.

The Mayor sets out the Equal Life Chances for All equality framework and produces an annual Equality Report.

Sport The Mayor continues to promote inclusive physical activity and sport through the five year strategy 'Inclusive and Active 2', which has been adopted by over 115 organisations across London and beyond.

Adoption of the strategy remains a pre-requisite for any organisation funded through the Mayor's Sports Participation Fund.

Any project funded through the Mayor's Sports Legacy Programme is required to engage at least 10% disabled participants.

Outside the London mayoral remit The Mayor and the Greater London Assembly do not have responsibility for:

 council housing,  schools,  social services,  hospitals,  street cleaning,  parking permits,  social security/welfare benefits.

These services are all provided by , government, or other organisations.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 7 SECTION 2 Questions and answers from the main mayoral candidates

Inclusion London, Transport for All and the Alliance for Inclusive Education met with the four main mayoral candidates. We had positive discussions with all candidates about our manifesto asks and there were no major areas of disagreement from any of them. They have all agreed to meet with us and our members within the first 100 days if they get elected.

We also posed them six key questions related to the asks in our ‘Disabled People’s Challenge to the next Mayor of London’. Their answers are set out below.

To see their full manifestos go to:

Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem) http://www.carolinepidgeon.org/files/docs/mayoralmanifesto2015.pdf

Sadiq Khan (Labour) http://www.sadiq.london/a_manifesto_for_all_londoners

Sian Berry (Green Party) http://www.sianberry.london/the-power-of-good-ideas/manifesto-for- london/ (includes easy read version)

Zac Goldsmith (Conservative) https://backzac2016.com/manifesto

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 8 1. What will you do to ensure that Disabled Londoners and our user-led organisations are fully involved in City Hall work that affects us?

Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem)

I would like to see a return to far more consultation groups led by user-led organisations for a range of London services. In relation to transport in particular I sometimes think the London Assembly Transport Committee has been better in consulting with disabled people than Transport for London. That simply needs to change.

Other changes also need to take place. For example, I think the Mayor of London should directly meet regularly with user-led organisations of disabled people. Sadly that has not been the priority of the current Mayor, as can be seen by his published diary.

Sadiq Khan (Labour)

I’m determined to be a Mayor for all Londoners, and that includes the 1.2 million Londoners with disabilities. Nobody in London should be denied the opportunity to make the most of what the city has to offer – in work, travel and leisure. If I become Mayor, and in order to deliver on this, I’ll make sure that there is genuine engagement between the Mayor and people with disabilities on all matters that affect disabled Londoners. This won’t be tokenistic, but meaningful discussion on the issues that really matter to disabled Londoners.

Sian Berry (Green Party)

I believe in “nothing about us without us”. This isn’t just about involvement, it is about leadership. City Hall work that affects disabled people needs to be led by disabled people, so I would bring them into City

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 9 Hall. This is part of my vision for London, to give London back to Londoners.

As Mayor I will appoint a disability equality policy adviser and a new forum for London Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations to feed into policy development, particularly housing, crime and transport. With this forum I will also develop an advice and advocacy strategy for London and ensure the London Health Inequalities Strategy and London Health Improvement Board addresses health inequalities experienced by deaf and disabled people.

Zac Goldsmith (Conservative)

At least 1 in 10 Londoners identify as disabled – and that figure is likely to be significantly under-reported, particularly as all of us get older – and yet transport, housing and even jobs and training are still not designed to be fully inclusive. I think that is because there have historically and wrongly been so few disabled people in public life, and therefore decision makers have not had the advice they needed, at the heart of Government, to get this right.

As Mayor of London, I will appoint an Ability and Inclusion Advisor in City Hall to ensure no decision about you is made without you – from accessible transport through to employment and skills training.

2. What will you do to tackle the growing disability inequality gap in London?

Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem)

If you look at some of the changes to disability benefits, or the increase in hate crime statistics against disabled people, I freely accept that the inequality gap is increasing.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 10 The Mayor is also the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service (although so far has passed on the responsibility). I believe there is no excuse for the Mayor not setting an effective strategy to tackle disability hate crime across London.

The Mayor also has an important role in setting London’s economic direction and ensuring more jobs, apprenticeships and internships are opened up to disabled people. I believe organisations such as Transport for London need to examine their recruitment policies and ensure their record on employing disabled people is greatly improved.

Finally, when it comes to transport access the buck really does stop with the Mayor of London, as the Mayor is chair of Transport for London. I am firmly committed to increasing the number of Tube stations with step free access (including the greater use of mobile ramps on platforms); putting to an end sudden lift closures due to a lack of trained staff and ensuring access to many train services is improved through TfL taking over the running of many commuter train services.

Sadiq Khan (Labour)

It’s unacceptable that disabled Londoners aren’t sharing in the city’s prosperity. As Mayor, I’ll do all I can to help disabled Londoners into work and promote better pay and conditions in the workplace. I’ll set up a team dedicated to economic fairness, promoting the London Living Wage, root out bad and unacceptable employment practices and work with employers to deliver more opportunities for people with disabilities, including apprenticeships suitable for disabled Londoners.

Sian Berry (Green Party)

Many of the most damaging changes being made to how disabled people are supported are being made by the Government at a national level. But we can help in London by building a better city where more people can participate and flourish without being confronted by artificial barriers that make inequality worse.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 11 I want to involve Disabled People’s Organisations in this, identifying the barriers and addressing them, for example looking at the interlinking social and economic factors that impact on participation in sport and other social activities.

All GLA commissioners and contractors must fulfil equality act duties, and they must be able to demonstrate a proven track record when it comes to equality and inclusive practice. At the forefront of my housing policy is to provide truly affordable social housing, so there can be low cost tenancies for Disabled Londoners, and I am committed to 10% of new homes being wheelchair accessible. But we do also need an assessment of accessible and adapted housing across the capital, to influence planning and provision that is directed at need.

Ultimately, inequality starts in education. So, with the new deputy mayor for education I would create, I would bring together London’s boroughs and schools to identify the barriers to inclusion. Although the Mayor’s powers are limited in this area, we can help at a strategic level and must do all we can to end the segregated education system, whether it be on the grounds of religion, class or disability. This immediately disadvantages disabled children, who can be excluded from mainstream society, and its opportunities, from the beginning of their lives. I would also ensure that the London curriculum is fully inclusive and accessible.

Zac Goldsmith (Conservative)

It is essential that disabled Londoners have access to the same life- chances as all Londoners. That means several things.

Top of the list is support from local councils to lead an independent life – that means spending more money on social care but also integrating care at home and care in the hospital into one genuinely integrated service, with the disabled person at the centre making all the decisions rather than being shunted from pillar to post.

Second we need more accessible homes – I will continue to enforce rules requiring that 10% of all new homes are wheelchair accessible, and will ensure we retrofit as many old homes as possible.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 12 Third we need accessible transport to get around. So I will continue TfL’s investment programme which will make sure 95 per cent of bus stops are accessible by the end of this year, and that by 2018 over half of TfL’s stations will have step-free access.

But I want to go further which is why I have committed to reviewing the current programme with a view to making it much more ambitious.

And finally, it is essential disabled people get access to inclusive skills and training and accessible work-places.

3. What will you do to improve the way Disability Hate Crime is tackled?

Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem)

We know that the number of recorded victims of disability hate crime is rapidly increasing. Yet at the same time it remains one of the most unreported crimes in the capital. In the first two months of 2016 there were 102 victims of disability hate crime in London. In contrast in the whole of 2013 there were 110 reported victims of disability hate crime – that is a staggering increase.

How much the increase is due to under reporting in the past, and how much is due to a real increase is obviously not clear cut, but what is crystal clear is that the level of disability hate crime is an immense problem which needs to be forcefully challenged.

To tackle disability hate crime there needs to be improvements in the way it is reported and far better training of police officers, especially due to new forms of hate crime such as cyber bullying. The way the Met actually investigates the crime also needs to improve.

I am also aware that a lot of hate crime takes place on public transport so I think in addition to the police, all TfL staff need to be aware of how to tackle this crime. Just as TfL and many train companies take legal action

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 13 against abusive behaviour towards their own staff I believe we should use their resources (staff, CCTV footage etc) to help tackle disability hate crime facing people as they travel around London.

Sadly, at this stage I do not claim to have all the answers to tackle disability hate crime. Indeed having read many reports on this issue I am aware that many organisations are able to highlight the issue, but less able to come forward with practical solutions. What I can promise is to adopt an effective strategy, which must involve the voices of disabled people being fully heard during the preparation of the strategy. I believe this is vital to ensure policies are put in place that are robust and effective.

Sadiq Khan (Labour)

London is famed the world over for its diversity and its tolerance so the rise in hate crime of all kinds is a badge of shame for the city. I’m determined to stamp out hate crime which is why I’ll insist the Met Police have a zero tolerance approach, and are given the resources they need to deal with it.

Sian Berry (Green Party)

The growth in hate crime is extremely concerning to me. Budgets are tight, but police priorities and the ways funds are spent are in the power of the Mayor to review, and I would do this in a way that involves all communities in deciding how to prioritise officer time and the way we go about tackling and investigating these crimes. I would make it easier to report them via third parties, and make sure that all reports are acted upon and victims kept informed about progress and actions taken. The social environment that lets hate crimes and harassment occur also needs attention. With new advertising space and technology on the transport network, we have an opportunity to work with disabled people’s organisations to run campaigns to raise awareness of the issue, help increase understanding and empower more people to stand up when they see harassment taking place. With these measures I hope we can turn around this deeply worrying trend. But we also urgently need to improve

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 14 the training and awareness of police frontline staff in this area.

Zac Goldsmith (Conservative)

As Mayor of London, I will build on the fantastic “Disability Hate Crime Matters” initiative launched a few weeks ago by one of your organisations, Inclusion London, to ensure the 900 Met officers who deal with hate crime and domestic violence have all training they need to properly identify and report disability hate crimes

But we need much greater awareness, too. A lot of disabled people don't even know this is a crime – and those that do are embarrassed to report it. So we need an attitude shift to empower people to report these criminals.

I spent some time with the fantastic gangs exit charity, the St Giles Trust, and one of the things they do is go into schools and talk to young girls who are victims of violence and educate them that a culture of violence is not acceptable and that they don't need to accept it. I want to do the same for Disability Hate Crime so, as Mayor, I will run a major campaign to ensure less abled Londoners are fully aware of their rights.

4. What will you do to promote Disabled people’s uptake of GLA apprenticeships?

Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem)

The Greater London Authority itself actually has a very limited apprenticeship scheme within City Hall, with 16 to 18 people taken on each year. However within ‘the GLA Group’ (TfL, Metropolitan Police Service, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, London Legacy Development Corporation) obviously there are numerous apprenticeship schemes, especially at TfL.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 15 More widely the Mayor has the resources to promote apprenticeship schemes that are provided by private employers.

I am firmly committed to improving work opportunities for disabled people across London. That must mean a greater take up of apprenticeships by disabled people across the GLA Group. I would start with collecting detailed statistics on the take up of apprenticeships by disabled people as at present this simple step seems to be often overlooked. Ultimately it is hard to address a problem when the size of the problem is overlooked.

More widely I would set up an apprenticeship scheme at city hall to bring together employers and those who wish to be apprentices to enable more Londoners to access these opportunities.

I am also committed to the double tick scheme being used throughout the GLA Group. In relation to apprenticeships, but also other forms of recruitment, I believe every organisation needs to carefully check and justify every physical standard that is routinely included on some job applications as sometimes they relate more to historical practice than actual requirements of the job.

Sadiq Khan (Labour)

Apprenticeships must be open to all, and the Mayor has a role in making this happen. The Mayor can do this via two routes – through procurement they can insist companies offer apprenticeships and some must be for disabled Londoners. Second, the Mayor can work with employers to spread best practice on apprenticeship, helping demonstrate to other businesses the benefits of having apprenticeships that work for all Londoners, regardless of any disabilities.

Sian Berry (Green Party)

We need to identify good inclusive practices in apprenticeships, learn from them, and roll them out across the capital. Apprenticeships must be accessible to disabled learners. And this means employers need to sign

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 16 up to basic standards of inclusion and awareness around disability, with training for their workforce. The GLA can use its powers of procurement to do this, with a requirement for all contractors to have inclusive apprenticeship opportunities. Effective monitoring is also key, and GLA sponsored apprenticeships should be monitored for their success rates post-apprenticeship.

As Mayor I would ensure that apprenticeships and other initiatives for skills and employment are tailored to help people with disabilities achieve their potential and that the Access To Work scheme is promoted to employers. I will also take the lead within City Hall and make sure all service providers working on behalf of the GLA demonstrate a track record of providing accessible and inclusive services and employing people with disabilities.

Zac Goldsmith (Conservative)

I actually think the question is much wider than this – it is about inclusive education from birth through to adult lifelong learning.

In my constituency, we have a fantastic local school which has fully integrated pupils of all abilities – against some initial concern from parents but now with huge support, it has benefited the whole community. The Mayor doesn't have powers over education, but he or she does have the soft power of the platform, and also convening powers, and I'll use those as Mayor to champion inclusive education.

But two things I can specifically do is, first, channel more of the Adult Skills Budget into inclusive lifelong learning - and I will do that by working with the small local Disabled Persons Organisations who know first-hand the barriers disabled people face and how overcome those barriers

And second, the Mayor is one of the biggest employers in London, so the Mayor should lead the way in making it easier for people with disabilities to get into the workforce.

If I'm Mayor I will make it easier for people to get a job at the GLA, Met or TfL with a more inclusive recruitment process.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 17 And I will specifically pilot a new form of inclusive apprenticeship, moving away from the rigid Government criteria which means disabled people can’t qualify as apprentices because they can’t meet very specific Maths and English standards, even where those are unnecessary for the jobs – and trying a more flexible approach which could then become a model for the rest of the UK.

5. What will you do to ensure that Disabled & older people are involved in the planning and design of transport services?

Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem)

There is certainly much that TfL could do to ensure greater involvement of disabled and older people in the planning and design of transport services, especially at an earlier stage of development. Too often it seems the views of disabled people and older people are only heard once a service is close to completion, an example being the development of cycle superhighways.

TfL clearly needs to improve its consultation mechanisms with disabled user groups in relation to many of its new services. As mentioned above I also believe the Mayor of London, who is the chair of Transport for London, has an important personal role to play in listening and engaging with disabled people on a very regular basis.

One further change I propose is that issues relating to pavements and cycling should no longer sit under the Surface Transport section at TfL, as quite frankly this section of TfL is largely dominated by issues relating to buses and large civil engineering problems. The voice of pedestrians is too often overlooked by engineers and others within TfL at present. I propose a stand-alone Walking and Cycling section of TfL, which I think would lead to a far clearer focus on pedestrian issues, especially those facing disabled and older people.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 18 Sadiq Khan (Labour)

I know how difficult it is for many disabled Londoners to get around the city because the public transport system isn’t up to scratch. Although the city’s buses are wheelchair accessible, and there growing numbers of train and tube stations are disabled access, there’s still a big job to do. It’s not one I’m prepared to duck, which is why I’m committed to speeding up accessibility improvements to our public transport system and demand that all new infrastructure schemes such as and the Bakerloo Line extension are fully accessible for all Londoners.

Sian Berry (Green Party)

I have committed to a full independent review of accessibility on the transport network. I believe that many projects to provide step-free access at stations are currently on hold simply due to cost. We will make the case for the social value of these schemes and build a new investment programme with 50 per cent more funding than currently.

I will also commit funds to the London Access Forum to give disabled people more say in making public transport and more underground stations accessible for more people more quickly. I would commit to twice yearly meetings with Transport for All.

Disabled people should also be at the forefront of design, for example of new buses, where there should be much more wheelchair space, and space for assistance dogs, and users should not be put in conflict with others using prams or buggies. Bus stops must also be improved with more accessible designs.

Zac Goldsmith (Conservative)

Last July I saw for myself what a nightmare it can be getting around on public transport for disabled people after spending just a few hours with Alan Benson, one of the lead campaigners from the charities backing this manifesto.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 19 Alan said it was a good day but it seemed like a nightmare to me. We were put on the wrong carriage, we were forced to wait for another bus because there was a buggy in the wheelchair area, we had to wait 25 minutes for someone to help us. It was very difficult.

I saw a glimpse of how hard it is. I want you to have a dedicated champion who really gets these issues.

So I will specifically keep a person on the TfL Board to advise on disabled people's issues.

I also want a culture change at TfL, particularly amongst bus drivers who can be rude and even drive off rather than helping a less abled person onto the bus, which is humiliating and unacceptable. Drivers who refuse to help less abled Londoners must be disciplined.

6. What will you do to improve the dearth of accessible minicabs in London?

Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem)

There are two steps I would immediately take.

Firstly, by law every minicab should accept guide dogs or assistance dogs, with the sole (and very rare) exception if the driver has a specific medical condition which means they cannot come into contact with dogs – and in such circumstances the driver should be displaying an exemption sticker in the cab. However, we know that regularly many blind people and people who use assistance dogs are refused access to minicabs. I would do everything possible to ensure the law is applied and would urge TfL to review the licence given to drivers who blatantly breach the law on this issue. I would more than double the number of enforcement officers in the taxi and private hire section at TfL.

Secondly, if step free access is not available at a TfL station which would normally have such provision, and in the absence of an alternative fully

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 20 accessible form of transport, a taxi should be offered to the nearest available step free station enroute, or to the customer's final destination if it is more practical.

However, this policy is rarely publicised and as a result few disabled people make full use of it. I would ensure that this policy is fully understood by all TfL staff and is properly advertised at TfL stations.

Of course these changes do not alter the harsh fact that too many minicabs are totally inaccessible for many disabled people.

I would seek to change this position through encouraging the large private hire companies to modify their fleets. However, just as with the changes to black taxis, the only significant change will come through minimum standards being put in place.

Transport for London does licence all private hire vehicles and it must start to use its regulatory powers to ensure that at least with large minicab fleets a proportion of their vehicles are fully accessible.

Finally, we should never overlook the vital role played by London’s taxis. The whole fleet has been 100% wheelchair accessible (and with other important access features) since 2000. A flourishing taxi trade is something that must be maintained in London.

Sadiq Khan (Labour)

I know what a lifeline taxis and private hire vehicles are for many disabled Londoners. Black cabs, being fully wheelchair accessible, are crucial, and this is why I’ll ensure we do not lose these iconic vehicles from our city’s roads. But in terms of the wider minicab fleet, I’ll ask Transport for London to investigate what more can be done via their licensing powers to ensure the city’s streets have sufficient accessible vehicles. And I’m also committed to ensuring Dial-a-Ride and Taxicard continue to provide support for those less able to around London.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 21 Sian Berry (Green Party)

I am seeking the power to better regulate the minicab industry in London to do more about a range of issues they are causing, which will include improving training and accessibility of vehicles via incentives. We have a good case for this, with minicab numbers growing rapidly, and though the government is not currently minded to give us more regulatory powers, the situation is better in other cities and with a strong campaign and arguments, I believe we can win at least the kind of regulation they have.

Zac Goldsmith (Conservative)

The freedom to get around London is absolutely critical for a disabled person's independence. So I am absolutely clear that London needs to have enough accessible vehicles so that a disabled person can just phone up and book one, which is not the case at the moment. I will work with you to make that happen, including using my licensing powers as mayor.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 22 SECTION 3 Voting in the London elections

Key Dates

The Mayor of London & London Assembly elections are on Thursday 5 May 2016. You can only vote if you are on the electoral register.

The deadline for voter registration is Monday 18 April.

You can vote in person at a polling station, by post or appoint someone

you trust to vote on your behalf as your proxy.

New applications for a postal vote must be returned to your local authority electoral registration office by 5pm on Tuesday 19 April, and new applications for a proxy vote by 5pm on Tuesday 26 April.

Registering to Vote You can vote in the 5 May 2016 elections for the Mayor of London and London Assembly if you:  are registered to vote by 18 April 2016  live in London  will be at least 18 years old on the day of the elections  are a British citizen, a citizen or a Commonwealth citizen who has or does not require leave to remain in the UK

You can register to vote online: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 23 To register you will need to provide your National Insurance number, your date of birth and your address.

Voting by post or by proxy

To apply to vote by post or appoint someone you trust to vote on your behalf as your proxy you need to:

 Download and print a form from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk  Fill the form in and sign it  Send it back to your local electoral registration office

Ways to Vote There are three ways you can vote in the London:

 in person at your polling station  by post  by proxy

In person at your polling station Before 5 May you will be sent a poll card which will tell you where your polling station is.

You can only vote at the polling station it says on your poll card.

You can also find out where your polling station is online using your postcode by going to: https://www.londonelects.org.uk/im-voter/ways-voting

You do not need to take the poll card with you to vote, but it will help the polling station staff if you do.

Polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm for voting.

When you get there the polling station staff will ask you for your name and address. Staff will check you are on the electoral register and have come to the right polling station. They will then give you three ballot papers (see next section on ‘How to vote’ for information on the different ballot papers).

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 24 By post If you have applied for a postal vote, you will be sent three ballot papers and a postal voting statement about one week before polling day.

You must return the ballot papers and postal voting statement in the envelopes provided so they get to your council before 10pm on 5 May.

You can also deliver them by hand on polling day to any polling station in your borough or to your borough’s electoral registration office.

By proxy Proxy voting means that if you aren't able to get to your polling station to vote in person, you can have someone you trust to go and vote for you.

When you apply for a proxy vote you will need to give information about the person you are appointing as your proxy. Only this person will be able to vote for you.

The person you appoint must:

 be registered to vote  be aged 18 or above

A person cannot be a proxy for more than two people at any one election unless they are a close relative.

If you have a medical emergency occurring after 5pm, six working days before the election, you can apply to vote by emergency proxy (until 5pm on the day of the election). To apply for an emergency proxy vote you will need to download, print and fill in a form from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 25 How to Vote There will be three ballot papers for the 2016 London elections: one to vote for the Mayor of London and two for the London Assembly.

Vote for the Mayor using the PINK ballot paper  You have 2 choices for Mayor. Marking a second choice doesn’t reduce the chances of your first choice candidate being successful.  Vote once [X] in column A for your first choice. Each candidate will either be part of a political party or standing as an independent candidate  Vote once [X] in column B for your second choice.  For your second choice to be valid it must be different from your first choice.  If you only mark a second choice, your vote will not be counted.

>> There are two ballot papers in the election for the London Assembly.

Vote for your Constituency London Assembly Member using the YELLOW ballot paper  Choose who you want to represent your local area on the London Assembly.  Vote for only one candidate by putting a cross [X] next to your choice.  Your London Assembly constituency is not the same as your parliamentary constituency. It is made up of the local authority you live in and 1, 2 or 3 other London local authorities.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 26 Vote for a London-wide Assembly Member using the ORANGE ballot paper  Choose who you want to represent the whole of London on the London Assembly.  Vote only once by putting a cross [X] in the box next to your choice.

Polling station access for Disabled voters All polling stations will have:

 a tactile voting device  large print ballot papers  wheelchair-accessible polling booths

Staff at the polling station can also provide assistance. Assistance could be reading the papers to you or marking your ballot paper for you.

Disabled voters can take a companion to assist with voting. A companion is only allowed to mark your ballot paper for you if they are also a registered voter or if they are a close family member. You must tell polling station staff if you have a companion who is going to assist you and the companion will have to sign a declaration saying they have done so.

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 27 SECTION 4 Full list of candidates

Mayor of London

 BERRY, Sian Rebecca – Green Party  FURNESS, David –  GALLOWAY, George – Respect (George Galloway)  GOLDING, Paul – – Putting British people first  GOLDSMITH, Zac – The Conservative Party Candidate  HARRIS, Lee Eli – Cannabis is Safer Than Alcohol  KHAN, Sadiq Aman – Labour Party  LOVE, Ankit – One Love Party  PIDGEON, Caroline Valerie –  WALKER, Sophie – Women's Equality Party  WHITTLE, Peter Robin – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  ZYLINSKI, Prince – Independent

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 28 Constituency London Assembly Member candidates 2016

Barnet and Camden  DISMORE, Andrew Hartley – Labour Party  LANGTON, Joseph John – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  POLANSKI, Zack – London Liberal Democrats  TAYLOR, Stephen John – Green Party  THOMAS, Daniel – The Conservative Party Candidate

Bexley and Bromley  BACON, Gareth Andrew – The Conservative Party Candidate  GOULD, Frank Thomas – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  IRELAND, Julie - London Liberal Democrats  OBADARA, Veronica Olabisi – All People's Party  ROBERTSON, Roisin Therese Siobhan – Green Party  RUSSELL, Sam – Labour Party

Brent and Harrow  ALAGARATNAM, Rathy – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  DAVIDSON, Joel Erne – The Conservative Party Candidate  GEORGIOU, Anton – London Liberal Democrats  HASSAN, Jafar – Green Party  MAHMOOD, Akib – Respect (George Galloway)  SHAH, Navin – Labour Party

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 29 City and East (includes the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and the )  BAGSHAW, Elaine Sheila – London Liberal Democrats  CHAPMAN, Christopher James – The Conservative Party Candidate  COLLINSON, Rachel – Green Party  D'SOUZA, Aaron Anthony Jose Hasan – All People's Party  DESAI, Unmesh – Labour Party  GICHINGA, Amina May Kay – Take Back the City  HARRIS, Peter James – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  MICKAIL, Rayne – Respect (George Galloway)

Croydon and Sutton  AHMAD, Amna – London Liberal Democrats  AHMAD, Marina – Labour Party  EDMONDS, Richard – National Front  HAGUE, Tracey Jo – Green Party  LEWIS, Madonna Beatrice – All People's Party  O'CONNELL, Stephen John – The Conservative Party Candidate  STAVELEY, Peter – UK Independence Party (UKIP)

Ealing and Hillingdon  FRUZZA, Francesco Rossano Alberto – London Liberal Democrats  GILHAM, Dominic – The Conservative Party Candidate  HANS, Meena – The Green Party  NIEORA, Alex – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  SAHOTA, Onkar Singh – Labour Party

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 30 Enfield and Haringey  AZU,Godson Odoamalame – All People's Party  DA COSTA, Nicholas Alexander Hannes – London Liberal Democrats  KELLY, Linda – The Conservative Party Candidate  MCCARTNEY, Joanne – Labour Party  STEWART, Ronald Andrew – Green Party  WATSON, Neville – UK Independence Party (UKIP)

Greenwich and Lewisham  BANGURA, Ajaratu Josephine – All People's Party  DUVALL, Len – Labour Party  FLETCHER, Julia – London Liberal Democrats  OAKLEY, Paul James – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  SOLLY, Imogen Susan Frances – Green Party  THOMAS, Adam Michael – The Conservative Party Candidate

Havering and Redbridge  BARTOLETTI, Ivana – Labour Party  BURKWOOD, Lee – The Green Party  PRINCE, Keith Anthony – The Conservative Party Candidate  SANDERSON, Ian Victor – London Liberal Democrats  WEBB, Lawrence James – UK Independence Party (UKIP)

Lambeth and Southwark  BUKOLA, Michael Adewale – Caroline Pidgeon's London Liberal Democrats  ESHALOMI, Florence – Labour Party

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 31  FLINT, Robert – The Conservative Party candidate  KANUMANSA, Amadu Santigie – All People's Party  NIX, Rashid – The Green Party  PARKIN, Kevin Leslie – The Socialist Party (SP-GB)  RAMADI, Idham – UK Independence Party (UKIP)

Merton and Wandsworth  COOPER, Leonie Alison – Labour Party  DEAN, David – The Conservative Party Candidate  HYYRYLAINEN-TRETT, Adrian James – London Liberal Democrats  JONES, Elizabeth Eirwen – UK Independence Party  KULENDRAN, Thamilini – Independent  OBIRI-DARKO, Esther – Green Party

North East (includes the boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest)  ALLEN, Tim – Respect (George Galloway)  ARNOLD, Jennette – Labour Party  JERAJ, Samir – Green Party  MALIK, Sam – The Conservative Party Candidate  MARTIN, Bill – The Socialist Party (SP–GB)  SILBERMAN, Jonathan – Communist League  STACY, Terry – London Liberal Democrats  VACHHA, Freddy – UK Independence Party (UKIP)

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 32 South West (includes the boroughs of Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, and Richmond upon Thames)  ARBOUR, Tony – The Conservative Party Candidate  BUICK, Adam John Lewis – The Socialist Party (SP-GB)  CRAIG, Alexander Alan – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  FRIEZE, Andree Michelle – Green Party  ROBSON, Rosina Jane – London Liberal Democrats  WHELTON, Martin James – Labour Party

West Central (includes the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, and Westminster)  DEVENISH, Tony – The Conservative Party Candidate  EGAN, Clive Keith – UK Independence Party (UKIP)  MULLIN, Annabel Jean Charlotte – London Liberal Democrats  NADEL, Jennifer Dunham – Green Party  RICHARDS, Mandy Marie – Labour Party

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 33 London-wide Assembly Members This vote is for the political party you want to represent the whole of the London. The parties standing in the election are listed below. Each party put forward a 'party list' of individuals who will be elected if they get enough votes. There are 11 London-wide Assembly Member seats in total and the candidates will be elected in the order they appear on the list. You can find the individuals on each party's list by going to: https://www.londonelects.org.uk/im-voter/who-vote/london-wide- assembly-member-candidates

 Britain First - Putting British people first  British National Party  Caroline Pidgeon's London Liberal Democrats  Christian Peoples Alliance  Conservative Party  Green Party – "vote Green on orange"  Labour Party  Respect (George Galloway)  The House Party – Homes for Londoners  UK Independence Party (UKIP)  Women's Equality Party

Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 34 Inclusion London

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Inclusion London 2016 London Election Toolkit for DDPOs 35